Cheesy Smoked Sausage & Rice Skillet
Tonight, why not enjoy a spiced up Cheesy Smoked Sausage & Rice Skillet, made all in one pan. (Don’t panic: The fresh jalapeños on top are not part of the recipe; they’re just for decoration to break up the sunset sea of sausage & salsa rice.)
Servings 6
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 14 oz smoked sausage links sliced into coins (I used jalapeño cheddar — see Note)
- ½ of a medium yellow onion diced
- 1 medium red bell pepper diced
- 1 cup uncooked long grain white rice
- 2 teaspoon minced garlic about 4 small cloves
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper
- Sea salt to taste
- 1 can corn drained
- 2 cups salsa
- ½ cup water
- 1-1.5 cups Mexican blend or cheddar shredded cheese see Note
Instructions
- Cut up the sausage, onion, garlic (if not using pre-minced), and red bell pepper. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat for one minute.
- Add the sausage, onions, and bell peppers to the skillet. Cook for 7-8 minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally, or until the onions and peppers are softened.
- Meanwhile: Drain the corn, measure out your rice, and open the salsa, getting everything ready for the next step.
- Once the veggies are softened, stir in the rice, garlic, salt, and spices. Saute for another minute to briefly toast the rice.
- Stir in the salsa, water, and corn. Increase the heat under the pan and bring everything to a boil.
- Reduce heat to medium (or medium-low, if your burners are more powerful than mine; you want it bubbling gently). Cover the skillet. Let everything simmer untouched for about 25 minutes, or until the rice is cooked through and has absorbed most of the liquid.
- Take off the lid and stir the rice. Make sure the rice is cooked (if not, pop the lid back on for a bit), then stir in the cheese until melted.
- Serve topped with optional chopped green onion.
Notes
I used jalapeño cheddar sausage, for an extra kick! This recipe turned out a bit spicy — but if you are sensitive to spice, you can substitute regular smoked sausage, use a mild salsa, and/or omit the crushed red pepper. I also used 1.5 cups of cheese because I wanted it extra cheesy; if you aren’t feeling that, though, 1 cup should do you.